


Closing The Distance

by ThatOneFanatic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25043041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneFanatic/pseuds/ThatOneFanatic
Summary: Shinsou Mika, friends with Kozume Kenma and Kuroo Tetsurou since they were first years in middle school. All three participated in volleyball up until highschool. Halfway through Kenma's first year and Kuroo's second year at Nekoma, Mika moves to Korea due to her parents' work. The three fall out of touch. Then. halfway through her third year, Mika returns, and Nekoma is still in need of a volleyball manager.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first piece of Haikyuu!! fanfiction, so if I make mistakes, I would appreciate it if you would leave them in the comments! I'm not the best at writing, so any and all critique is accepted! Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story!

Kuroo knew something was wrong. He knew it from the moment that Mika walked onto school grounds, looking down at her feet while he waited with Kenma. He nudged Kenma's side with his elbow, making the current brunet look up in confusion. Kenma was quick to notice that Kuroo wasn't looking at him, but Mika instead. 

"Oi! Mika!" Kuroo called out, causing the poor girl to jump in shock and look up at her two friends. "Watcha doin' looking all glum and stuff?" He questioned, raising a brow at her. At this point, Kenma had put his console away and had his hands stashed in his pockets, trying to save them from the cold. 

Mika stared a the two of them, her words getting caught in her throat. She bit her lip and looked back down at her feet. "...ing." That's all Kuroo was able to hear. He raised a brow and glanced at Kenma who was also sharing his look of confusion.

"What did'ya say?" Kuroo questioned as he walked towards Mika who sank into herself, trying to make herself smaller. "Oi, Mika, you good? You're pale. D'ya see a ghost on your way here or somethin'?" He teased as Mika looked up at him, her eyes watering. Kuroo couldn't help but be taken back. "Hey um... It was a joke y'know," He muttered.

Mika sighed and brought her hands to her face, trying to hide. "Mika, are you-"

"I'm moving." Even though the words were muffled by her hands, Kuroo could still make them out. Her hands dropped from her face as she looked up at Kuroo and Kenma. "I'm moving to Korea," She whispered. Her voice was hoarse like she had been yelling for hours and hours and by the look of it, she probably had been.

"When?" Kenma asked, a frown pulling at his lips. 

"During the break," Mika said, looking back down at her feet. "I-I'm sorry... I tried to talk to them, but they said it's for work and-"

"It's okay," Kuroo cut her off, forcing a sad smile. "Break is in a week, right? So that means we still have time. Don't beat yourself up too much about it. It's not like this will be the last time we see each other. We can visit over breaks and we'll still be able to text," Kuroo stated, wrapping an arm around Mika's shoulders. 

Mika looked up at him, the tears finally spilling over and running down her cheeks. "Promise?" She asked, her bottom lip quivering. Kuroo held up his pinky with a cheeky grin. 

"Pinky promise." Mika couldn't help but laugh as she wrapped her pinky around his. "Oi, Kenma get in here," He ordered. Kenma sighed but wrapped his pinky around the both of theirs nonetheless. "This is a pinky promise that no matter what, we will all still be friends, no matter how far apart or for how long apart." 

"That's a stupid promise. Of course, we'll still be friends," Kenma stated, shifting his weight onto one leg. 

"Wah! Kenma!" Mika cried as she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. "How can you be so cool, but still a dork?" Kenma barely was able to keep himself upright by the sudden weight

"H-Hey what are you doing?" Kenma questioned as Mika buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," She murmured as Kuroo came over and ruffled Kenma's hair. 

"Don't worry Mika. We're not going anywhere," Kuroo said, his signature smirk gracing his features. Mika peeked up from Kenma's shoulder and smiled softly as her friends. 

Unfortunately, destiny had other plans for the three of them. The week that they had left together went by quickly and before they knew it, Mika was gone. All of them talked every single day, keeping each other up to date on everything. But like every other long distant friendship, they fell out of touch during their second year. Mika got busy with her university courses while Kuroo and Kenma became busy with volleyball. They never did visit during breaks with volleyball training camps and university campus visits. Before they knew it, they became strangers. Then they were seniors.


	2. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious about my upload schedule, it is usually once a week sometime around the weekend. I don't have a set date or time so I'm really sorry if this an inconvenience to anyone.

When he woke up that morning, Kuroo felt as if something was going to happen that day. It was almost as if his volleyball instincts had carried over into real life. He felt as if a wing spiker would go for a tap rather than a spike. Something unexpected was going to happen today. He just hoped that he would be able to figure it out before it happened. 

He groaned as he pulled himself out of bed, knowing that if he didn't get up and moving then he would be late for morning practice. It didn't take him long to get up and ready for the day and soon, he was on his way to school. He met up with Kenma along the way, the shorter boy already playing his video games.

"Do you ever put that thing down?" Kuroo questioned, raising a brow at Kenma who shrugged in response. 

"During class, games, and practice," Kenma replied nonchalantly. Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck, concern evident on his face. He knew that Kenma wasn't the type to get overly excited about things other than his games, but still... He had to put some effort into other things. 

"Oh! Kuroo-San! Kenma-San!" Both Kuroo and Kenma turned their heads to see Lev running towards them. "Did you hear? A new student is coming today! Maybe we can recruit them to be our manager!" He stated excitedly, energy practically radiating off of him.

Kuroo raised a brow at Lev. "Eh? A new kid? This late in the school year?" He questioned shifting the weight of his bag as they walked. Lev nodded, basically hopping like a child as he walked. "And what makes ya think anyone would wanna be around your loud ass?" He asked, a smirk rising on his lips as Lev pouted.

"Awe... You're so mean Kuroo-San!!" Lev whined as he hunched his shoulders over, making himself a good four inches shorter. Kuroo couldn't help but laugh at the childish antics as they walked onto the school grounds. 

"Stop your pouting and let's go get changed," Kuroo said, slapping both Kenma and Lev's backs, pushing them to the volleyball club room. When they got into the club room, Yaku was already on his way out to start setting up the nets in the gym.

"Oh, good morning," He said upon seeing the three. "Lev, we're practicing on your receives today," He said before heading down to the gym as Lev started whining again.

"Receives again? I wanna spike today!" Lev pouted. Yaku looked over his shoulders at Lev and raised a brow, challenging Lev to talk back to him again. Lev ran to quickly change, not wanting his punishment to be any worse than it already was. Kuroo couldn't help but roll his eyes at both of them as he walked into the club room to get changed. 

Morning practice went off without a hitch... Well, maybe one hitch. Lev almost looked dead after practice that morning. Yaku hadn't taken it easy on the first year, going all out on his tosses and passes. The only thing that seemed to motivate Lev was Yaku threatening him and accusing of him being weaker than Hinata... Which at this point, wasn't very far off.

It was when Kuroo got into his morning class he noticed how everyone seemed to be buzzing with excitement. He turned in his chair to look at the girl who sat behind him. A foreign exchange student from America spending her final year at Nekoma. "Oi Haley." The girl looked up from her book and raised a brow at Kuroo. "What's everyone shittin' their pants about?" Haley sighed as she shut her book and shook her head.

"You shouldn't use that type of language at school. And they're talking about the new student in class 3-4," She said as she leaned forward, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "They're really excited to see the new girl," She murmured as Kuroo raised a brow.

"Why the hell are they excited?" Kuroo questioned, scratching his ear as he tried to think of reasons.

"Apparently she's another exchange student. I heard she's from Korea," Haley stated as she watched her classmates go crazy for no apparent reason. "I hope the poor girl can handle the attention. I heard there was a line of people outside her classroom trying to look at her."

Kuroo couldn't help but laugh at the thought of people lining up outside a classroom just to meet someone. He knew that the guys in his school were desperate but like this? Now, this was just sad. He was about to comment Haley when their teacher walked into class. "Everyone, take your seats," They said causing everyone to scary to their seats. Kuroo was quick to get into his school mindset, completely forgetting about the conversation between him and Haley.

The class went by fairly slowly for him. He couldn't explain it, but the feeling of something happening kept something back to him. As the day went on, the feeling just kept getting stronger and stronger. When lunch passed by and afternoon classes were almost over, he knew that something was going to happen at practice. Maybe Lev was finally going to be able to receive a ball correctly? Was Yaku finally going to lose his shit? Was Yamamoto going to come to the club with a manager candidate?

Kuroo couldn't help but snort at the last thought. Like anyone would want to put up with their rowdy asses for the remainder of the school year. He sighed and glanced out the window, letting his mind wander a bit, thinking about what would happen. Little did he know, someone was already coming up with a plan on what to do during his practice.

Mika took a deep breath as the final bell of class rang. She stood from her seat, grabbing her bag as someone ran up to her. Another girl in her class who she couldn't remember the name of. "Shinsou-Chan, you should come to hang out with my friends and me!" The girl exclaimed a bright smile on her face. Mika blinked in surprise before smiling softly.

"Ah- thank you very much for the offer but I'm afraid I already have plans," She said politely as she adjusted her bag in her hands. The girl raised a brow at Mika and crossed her arms. 

"Really? What plans do you have?" The girl questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm going to go look for some old friends I used to go to school with," Mika explained with a soft smile. "The volleyball club still practices in the same gym right?" She asked. The girl raised a brow but nodded slowly. "Alright thank you! We can hang out another time okay?" Mika suggested before she headed out of the classroom. The girl slowly blinked before scratching her cheek lightly.

"Did she used to go to school here?" The girl asked herself before shrugging her shoulders and heading back to her friend group.

Mika practically ran across the school grounds towards the gym. The pounding in her heart seemed to go faster than the pounding of her feet against the pavement. When she saw the gym, she could feel her heart pounding even faster as she slowed down. The gym doors were open, allowing Mika to peek inside. She was surprised to already see a few people inside. She glanced around, looking for her friends, wondering if they were still in the club. 

"Who are you?" The voice that came behind Mika startled her, causing her to quickly turn around. She blinked, surprised to see a boy slightly smaller than her standing in front of her. 

"H-huh?" She muttered before quickly regaining her composure. "A-ah sorry! I'm Shinsou Mika! I'm sorry if I was overstepping any boundaries, I was looking for a couple of friends of mine," She quickly said offering the boy a quick smile. The boy raised a brow at her before smiling softly.

"You're alright. I'm Shibayama Yuki. It's a pleasure to meet you Shinsou-San," He said, smiling softly at her. "Who are you looking for?" He questioned with a raised brow.

"Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma," Mika responded before rubbing the back of her neck. "To be honest, I'm not even sure if they still play," She said awkwardly with a small laugh. Yuki couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Well, I hope our team captain and setter don't quit on us anytime soon. You're welcome to come in and wait inside if you like," He said, stepping into the gym. "Practice doesn't start for another half an hour." Mika glanced around the gym before she walked in, cautious of her shoes. She made sure to stick to one of the walls, making sure not to track too much dirt in. She looked around the gym taking a deep breath as relax slightly. A soft smile coaxed up her lips, realizing that nothing seemed to change around the gym.

"Mika?" Mika turned her head, surprised to see Yaku. A big smile replaced her previous one.

"Yakkun!" She exclaimed as she walked over to him. The two hugged each other as Yaku looked at her in confusion.

"Mika, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing a school uniform? Wait are you the transfer student?!" He exclaimed as Mika laughed and pulled away from their hug.

"Yeah, I am. I just got back a few days ago," She said as she set down her bag. "I'm glad to see you're still in the club Yakkun. I hope you haven't beat up too many people since I've been gone," She said as Yaku grimaced. Mika couldn't help but laugh again. "I'll take that as a maybe." Yaku shook his head and looked back at Mika.

"Why didn't you say you were coming back? We haven't talked in almost a year. What have you been up to?" Yaku questioned as Mika rubbed the back of her neck. 

"Ah, w-well I moved back with my mom. We're living with my Auntie at the moment. I also had to get rid of my old phone and I wasn't able to retrieve any of my old contacts. I tried getting ahold of you through social media, but I guess none of my messages got through," She explained with a small shrug of her shoulders. "But I'm here now! I'm going to finish my senior year and go to university here as well."

Yaku smiled softly before he hugged Mika again. "Well, I'm glad to see you back. Kuroo and Kenma should be here soon," He explained, pulling away from the hug again.

"Yaku-San! Do I have to practice receives today?" Lev cried as he walked into the gym. Once he spotted Mika he quickly shut up and looked down at the girl. He blinked a couple of times before tilting his head to the side. "Is this our new manager?" He asked bluntly.

"Oi, show some respect for your seniors!" Yaku yelled as he grabbed Lev's shirt and forced him into a bow. 

"A-ah that's okay! He doesn't know who I am anyway Yakkun!" Mika quickly said as Yaku glared at Lev. Yaku huffed and released Lev, crossing his arms.

"Titan, this is Shinsou Mika. She's a friend of ours so be nice to her got it?" 

"Wha- I'm always nice though!" Lev whined as he stood back up. He pouted before looking at Mika and smiling softly. "It's nice to meet you Shinsou-San! I'm Haiba Lev," He introduced himself. Mika blinked a couple of times before returning the smile.

"It's nice to meet you Lev-Kun! I take it you're a first-year here?" Mika responded. Lev nodded and smiled brightly.

"Yeah! I'm the ace of Nekoma!" He exclaimed. Mika glanced at Yaku who just sighed and shook his head before looking back at Lev.

"Well, I'll have to see you play in one of your games then, Ace!" She replied. Lev's eyes seemed to sparkle while Yaku's looked dark. 

"Please don't encourage-"

"Yaku-San! Let's work on receives!" Lev exclaimed. Mika quickly made the connection to a new puppy. Yaku looked at Lev slightly surprised before smiling and shaking his head.

"Set up the net first and then we will," Yaku ordered as Lev took off to get things set up. Mika chuckled softly at their relationship before she heard more voices coming from outside. She couldn't help but smile brightly when she saw Nobuyuki and some other kids she figured were second years. 

"Yuki-Kun!" Mika yelled, causing Nobuyuki to look up. He blinked when he saw Mika standing in the gym waving at him. The second years, Yamamoto, Inuoka, Teshiro, and Fukunaga all looked confused when they saw the female. Once he realized who she was, he ran up to her and wrapped her in a tight up.

"Mika-chan, you're back," Nobuyuki said, smiling. Mika laughed softly as she hugged him back. 

"It's good to see you too Yuki-Kun," She replied as they pulled away from the hug. She looked toward the second years and smiled before bowing. "Hello, I'm Shinsou Mika. I'm an old friend of your seniors," She introduced herself.

Yamamoto gasped before he bowed deeply. "It's a pleasure to meet you Shinsou-San! I am Yamamoto Taketora! I have a question for you if you don't mind!" Mika blinked, surprised by the sudden eagerness form the second year.

"Uh- Not at all," She replied. Next thing she knew, Yamamoto was on his knees in front of her, holding her hand. 

"Would you please be our manager?!" Yamamoto practically yelled. Mika looked at him in shock. 

"U-um..." 

"Ignore him," Teshiro said, stepping forward and prying Yamamoto away from Mika. "We're the only ones in our division without a manager so he asks every single person he meets," He explained before bowing slightly. "I'm Teshiro Tamahiko. It's a pleasure to meet you," Teshiro introduced himself.

Mika quickly shook her head and smiled softly. "It's alright. I was just surprised is all," She said. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Teshiro-Kun." She looked at Fukunaga and Inuoka. "And who are you two?"

Inuoka bowed deeply. "Inuoka So! It's an honor to meet the friend of our seniors, Shinsou-Senpai!" Fukunaga simply bowed his head.

"Fukunaga Shohei," He said bluntly and in a soft voice. Mika glanced between the group, somewhat surprised to see such a dynamic group of people. 

Mika smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you! I hope to get to know you all better over the year," She said causing Yamamoto to come to the brink of tears. 

Yaku sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, go start your warm-ups and stop bothering her!" He ordered, causing the second years to take off, helping Lev set up the nets and do their warm-ups. Mika laughed softly before she turned back to Nobuyuki and Yaku.

"I see you have them whipped into shape," She said, shifting her weight onto one foot. Nobuyuki chuckled softly and crossed his arms. 

"It's mainly thanks to Kuroo. He's been pretty tough on them lately with the next training camp coming up in a couple of weeks," Nobuyuki explained as he watched his juniors. Mika glanced between the two, noticing how different they look from when she last saw them. Back then, they stood around the same height and now Nobuyuki was so much taller than both of them. They both developed their muscles over the year she had been gone. She was surprised to see how many small things changed with them.

"Lev the net is upside down!" Mika was pulled out of her trance to hear Yamamoto yelling. 

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Lev quickly apologized as they started to take the net down again.

"How is that even possible?" Mika mumbled as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

Yaku sighed for the umpteenth time today and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Things are going to be chaos when we leave," He muttered before he walked onto the court, already yelling at the juniors. Nobuyuki chuckled before looking back at Mika.

"I have to go help warm up. Kuroo and Kenma should be here soon though," He said. Mika nodded in response, watching Nuboyuki run off to help. Mika couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Yaku yelling at Lev. The height difference was just too amusing. Nobuyuki helped Inuoka and Yamamoto reset the net while Shibayama and Teshiro got the ball carts. Fukunaga was busy cleaning up the floors to make sure they were practice worthy. Mika couldn't help but smile at the sight of the team. It had changed so much in the past year, but at the same time, it was still the same. The same atmosphere and the same sportsmanship. Everyone has the same amount of respect for the other. 

"Eh? Mika?" Mika turned to her head, surprised to see Coach Nekomata and Coach Naoi. 

"A-ah Coach! Hello!" She exclaimed, bowing deeply. Nekomata couldn't help but laugh while Naoi smiled fondly.

"Well well well! Looks like we have our little cheerleader back! How had Korea been treating you?" Nekomata asked, smiling brightly. Mika stood up straight, smiling brightly at her old coaches.

"Good! I am very glad to be back home though," She said, earning a laugh from Nekomata.

"That's great to hear! Make yourself comfortable. You know you're always welcome here." Mika nodded in response.

"Thank you for having me, coach. I'm very happy to be back." Nekomata chuckled and gently ruffled Mika's hair. 

"Come on, let's go take a seat," Naoi said, leading Mika over to the benches set up by the court. Mika takes a seat, placing her bag down next to her. She glances towards the gym door, anxious at when Kuroo and Kenma will come in. She started tapping her foot against the ground, a nervous habit of hers. It felt as if an eternity went by when it was only a couple minutes before she heard voices coming toward the gym.

"Don't blame me when you go blind playing games all the time."

"You can't go blind. I already looked it up."

"Why would you look up something like that?!"

Mika couldn't help but smile brightly, their voices so distinct that she could easily recognize who they belonged to. It was only when Kuroo and Kenma walked into the gym did Mika lose her breath. They looked so different it was hard to believe they were the same people. "Hey, guys! Look who's here!" Yaku called out, quickly pointing to Mika. Kuroo and Kenma looked at her in confusion. 

Mika quickly stood from her seat smiling softly. "Hi," She said softly with a small wave. It didn't take long for both of them to realize who you were.

The first thing that Kuroo saw when he looked at Mika was her hair. Long chestnut brown hair held back by a thin headband. bangs hanging loosely in front of her face. Next was her face. She had pale skin, a thin face, and honey-colored eyes. Next was the uniform. Their school uniform. 

"Mika?" Kuroo muttered, confused, and shocked. Mika simply nodded.

"It's good to see you Kuroo. You to Kenma, I see you still play video games a lot," She said somewhat awkwardly, rubbing her arm. Kenma glanced down at his device before quickly putting it away and walking over to Mika. Mika met him halfway, pulling him into a tight hug.

"You're here?" Kenma muttered still in shock. Mika nodded and buried her face into his shoulder. Kenma couldn't help but smile softly as he tightened his grip around Mika. After a moment, the two pull away and Mika looks toward Kuroo who's just standing and watching.

"Kuroo?" She asked softly, getting nervous by his reaction. Kuroo walked toward Mika, his expression unreadable. Mika swallowed the growing lump in her throat as Kuroo took each step closer. He stood in front of her, only a foot away. His gaze pierced through her as if waiting for his imagination to take away the image. "Kuroo? Are you alright?" She asked, causing Kuroo to finally realize that Mika was indeed standing in front of him. 

"Mika..." He trailed off and place a hand on top of her head. Mika blinked in confusion before he took his other hand to squeeze her face. "Why the hell didn't you ever answer my texts or call!?" He yelled as Mika squicked.

"H-hey stop squeezing my face!"

"Not until you tell me why you have been ignoring me!"

"I haven't! I got a new phone!"

"Eh?! That's the best excuse?!"

"K-Kuroo-San," Inuoka interrupted. "Aren't you happy to see her?" He asked, confused. Kuroo looked at him conf  
"Huh? Of course, I'm happy! Don't I look happy!?" Kuroo yelled as Mika slapped his hand away.

"No, you don't you donkey face! Is that the first thing you say to me?! At least I greeted you first dumbass!" She yelled back with a huff before crossing her arms. Kuroo looked down at Mika and placed his hands on his hips.

"Oi who're ya calling a dumbass?!"

"You, you dumbass!"

"Enough!" Nekomata yelled, causing both teens to freeze up. "Both of you, ten laps! No cursing in my gym!" Mika blinked a couple of times and looked at her old coach.

"But-"

"No buts!" Nekomata yelled crossing his arms. Naoi sighed softly and shook his head.

"Sir, Mika-chan is wearing a skirt and her school shoes," He said as Nekomata blinked a couple of times. 

"Oh right... Tetsurou, ten laps! Mika, you just sit down." Kuroo gapped like a fish at his coach as Mika smiled in glory.

"Enjoy your laps donkey face," She said as she walked back toward her seat.

"Oi wait for a second," Kuroo said, grabbing Mika's wrist and pulling her into a hug. "Glad to have you back jerk," He said, hugging her tightly. Mika couldn't help but smile and hug him back.

"Glad to be back donkey."


	3. The Manager

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for reading my work! I appreciate any and all criticism! Please enjoy the story! I also made a new Haikyuu! blog on Tumblr! You can find me at https://nonexistent-social-life.tumblr.com/

Mika sat on the sidelines with Naoi while they watched practice start. As she watched the practice, she couldn't help but be slightly surprised to see how much everyone had grown since she was gone. Kuroo blocked almost all spikes that he was in front of. If not, then he at least got a one-touch in for Yaku to quickly pick it up. The ball always went right to Kenma who made some of the craziest sets that Mika had seen. 

Yet, when she saw the first and second years working she was surprised to see how quickly they were able to get the ball up. Although, they all had their weaknesses. Lev seemed to be the one struggling the most. While he showed a lot of potentials, he was still sloppy with his techniques. She couldn't help but lean forward, resting her elbows on her knees while looking between the students. "One touch!" Kuroo called looking over his shoulder.

"Lev it's yours!" Yaku called, the ball going straight towards the freshmen.

"Got it!" Lev responded, leaning forward, his arms stretched outward to pass the ball. Yet instead, somehow Lev managed to send the ball into the net. He blinked, confused before glancing down at his arms. 

"What the hell was that?!" Yaku yelled, walking over to the first year, grabbing him by the year and pulling him down. "How was that even possible? It was coming right for you!" 

"Sorry, Yaku-San!" Lev whined. Nekomata sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Alright let's take a break. Lev, I want you to continue to work with Yaku on receives," He said, earning another whine from Lev. Kuroo couldn't help but chuckle as he walked towards where Mika was sitting, Kenma following in pursuit. Kenma sat down on the bench next to Mika while Kuroo sat on the floor in front of her. 

"So what do you think?" Kuroo asked, taking a sip from his water. Mika thought for a moment, tapping her chin lightly.

"Your spikes are a lot better than they were before although your posture is still sloppy. Your blocks are still as crazy as ever," She responded with a small shrug before looking at Kenma. "Your sets are looking good! It's crazy how you're able to read the other players so easily," She said, patting the top of his head lightly. 

"Hey hey, why do I only get criticism?" Kuroo pouted, earning a laugh from Mika.

"Because Kenma deserves it more, donkey face," She joked, sticking her tongue out at him. 

"Well, that's rude." Kuroo huffed, resting his chin on his palm. Mika smiled softly and rolled her eyes at him. Kenma sighed and shook his head as he took a drink of his water. 

"My headaches are going to come back now aren't they?" He groaned. Mika took her turn to pout and rested her head on Kenma's shoulder. 

"Kenma! Why are you so mean to me? I haven't seen you in a year and a half." Kenma glanced down at Mika, raising a brow at her. She huffed slightly and moved her head off of him. "You're so rude now Kenma. You used to be cool."

"As you said, it's been a year and a half. People can change in a short amount of time," He said with a small shrug of his shoulders. Mika blinked before giving an awkward laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you're-"

"Mika!" Mika looked up when she heard her name being called. Her instincts were quick to kick in, her hands quickly raising to block the volleyball from hitting her face. The ball bounced off of her forearms, right back to Yaku, who yelled at her. "Thanks, Mika!"

"S-sorry Shinsou-San!" Lev called, bowing deeply in apology. Mika couldn't help but laugh softly and shake her head.

"No no, it's alright! Would it be alright if I helped a bit?" She asked, earning a relieved look from Yaku.

"Please. I can't take it anymore," Yaku muttered, rubbing his temples lightly. Mika couldn't help but laugh softly as she stood and walked over to Lev and Yaku.

"Shinsou-San you play volleyball?" Lev asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. 

"Yes! I used to be the libero on the girl's team until I moved," Mika explained as she walked onto the court. Lev blinked a couple of times in shock before smiling brightly. 

"That's amazing Shinsou-San! You and Yaku are the same height so it's natural for you to be a libero!" He exclaimed as Mika raised a brow at Lev.

"Eh? What's height got to do with it? I could play any position if I had the skill! I'm surprised you're even able to play with your level of skill!" Mika scolded him as she took the ball from Yaku.

"No way! I'm going to be ace someday!" Lev attempted to defend himself. Mika had to put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. "SHinsou-San!" Lev's whine broke Mika's attempt to keep herself from laughing. 

"Sorry, sorry! Let's work on your receives okay?" Mika said, smiling softly. Lev returned her smile and nodded.

Kuroo couldn't help but watch Mika as she practiced with Lev. He looked back at Kenma who now had his PSP in hand. "Oi, don't cha think you were being rude?" He questioned as Kenma glanced at him. 

"How? I was only agreeing with her," Kenma muttered before looking back at his game. Kuroo sighed and shook his head. 

"So stubborn," He muttered before he turned to look back at Mika, who was now helping Lev with the positioning of his arms. 

"Receiving is the most important part of volleyball. If you can't keep the ball up, you can't play. The best place to aim for is right between both forearms. It gives force to both sides of the ball and helps you send the ball where you want to go," Mika explained as Lev tilted his head to the side.

"But why do I need to learn to receive? I wanna spike! That's what an ace does the best right, right?" Lev questioned with a small smile. "And Yaku is always there to get the ball up anyway!" Mika thought for a moment before she returned his smile. 

"Well Yaku is a great libero, but he won't always be there to receive the ball for you. And when you do become ace, that means that you'll start being targeted," She said as Lev's face practically lit up.

"I'll be targeted?" Lev muttered. Mika nodded in response.

"Yeah! All aces are targeted! You'll have to work on your receives so you can take down the other aces that you're up against!" Mika exclaimed. Lev's eyes widened before he smiled brightly. 

"Alright! I'm gonna be the best ace ever!" Lev exclaimed. Mika laughed lightly and nodded. Lev stepped toward Mika and grabbed her hand. "Shinsou-San will you please continue to teach me how to receive?!" Mika couldn't help but blush softly at his request.

"Huh? But I'm not a part of the club. And I haven't played in a year. I out of practice!" Mika stated as she attempted to reject his offer. Lev pouted and tightened his grip around her hands. 

"But Shinsou-San, you're a great teacher. You're nice to me! Yaku only ever yells at me!" Lev whined before a hand came down and hit him on the top of his head. "Ow!" Lev's hands immediately released Mika and went to the top of his head.

"Oi leave her alone." Mika looked over, relieved to see Kuroo standing there. "This is the guy's team, she can't help you. And our Demon Senpai yells at you because you're an idiot," He stated, crossing his arms.

"The hell did you call me?!" Yaku yelled from across the gym. Kuroo smirked and looked at Yaku.

"Eh? I didn't say anything at all," Kuroo said with a small smirk creeping upon his face. 

"Oh-oh! I have an idea!" Yamamoto said, jumping up. "What if she became our manager?! Then she could help us and we could finally have a manager!" Kuroo blinked before rubbing his chin lightly, in thought. He hummed before nodding.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Mika can be our manager," Kuroo stated. Mika glared at Kuroo and smacked him upside the head.

"Don't go deciding things for me!" She scolded him. Kuroo looked down at Mika and raised a brow.

"Eh?! Why'd ya hit me for?! That hurt ya know!" He whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"If you get hurt from a girl hitting you then you're just weak>"

"Who're you calling weak?! You can't even still play properly!"

"Says you! You still can't even receive properly!"

"Enough!" Nekomata yelled, crossing his arms in frustration. "All you two ever do is bicker, bicker, bicker! You two haven't grown up at all! Mika, if you want to be our manager, you're more than welcome to. Tetsuro, she's right. You need to work on your receives. Yaku, you help him and Lev. Everyone else gets back to practice!" 

"Yes, sir!" Everyone said, including Mika. The rest of practice went off without a hitch. Mika stuck to her bench an continued to watch, taking mental notes of what was happening. Naoi glanced over at Mika before leaning towards her.

"How many receives has Lev gotten so far?" He asked.

"In a row, the highest is five, otherwise he has gotten around 30 in total," SHe responded, not taking her eyes off of the players. Naoi nodded, thinking of another question.

"And how long has this current rally been going on?" He asked, referring to the practice game that was happening with the other club members.

"They've been rallying for about half a minute now," She answered. Naoi smiled softly and shook his head.

"And you must realize why I'm asking you these questions, right?" 

"Nope."

"I knew you would figure- Wait what?" Naoi cut himself off, surprised that she wasn't able to catch on. "You have no idea what I'm asking?"

"A-are you not just curious about what's happening? I mean, it has to be a lot to keep track of with just one person," Mika said, looking over at Naoi. Naoi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Wow you still act the same as always," He muttered, letting his hand drop into his lap. "I think that you should become our team's manager. Not only just because it would be nice to have you back on one of our teams, but I think that you would enjoy it."

Mika thought for a moment, looking at the team. She bit her lip softly and looked down at her lap. She knew that becoming a manager would be different from what she was used to doing. "I'm not sure... It's been a while since I've last even played."

"You seem to remember everything. I would be more surprised if you were able to still play like you just left," Naoi said with a small chuckle. Mika smiled softly and shook her head.

"I'll think about-"

"Oya Oya Oya, what're you talking about?" Kuroo asked as he walked up to the two. Mika looked up at him and raised a brow.

"What are you doing not practicing? Aren't you supposed to be working on receives?" Mika asked before taking notice of how everyone else was starting to pack up. She looked at the clock that was hanging about the gym doors. She was surprised to see that it was already the end of practice. 

"You never really one to pay attention were you?" Kuroo asked, smirking softly. Mika glared at Kuroo and stood from her seat. 

"And you never were one to stay out of other's conversations." Kuroo pouted and rested his arm on her shoulder, using her as an armrest.

"C'mon just tell me," Kuroo whined. Mika huffed and rolled her eyes at his childish antics.

"Naoi-Sensei was just offering the manager position to me," She explained, not surprised at all to see how his face lit up. 

"You're becoming our manager?!" He exclaimed, earning the attention of everyone else in the gym.

"Manager?" Kenma questioned softly.

"Wait for real?!" Yamamoto yelled.

"We have a manager!" Inuoka jumped excitedly.

"W-wait! I never said-" 

"Ah, wonderful! We're lucky to have you on the team, Mika," Nekomata stated, cutting Mika off. Mika stared in shock before she sighed, hunching over in defeat, 

"Guess I have no choice," She muttered as Kuroo laughed, pulling her against his side.

"Don't worry, we're not that much to handle, Manager," He stated, looking down at her with a sly smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was supposed to post this two days again, please don't hate me~


	4. The Walk Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 4!! Sorry, this chapter a bit shorter! I hope you all still enjoy it!

While the boys went to the clubroom to change out of their gym clothes, Nekomata had given Mika all of the papers she needed her parents to sign. She hadn't even realized Kuroo and Kenma waiting for her outside. When she walked out and saw them she couldn't help but smile softly. "Hey, sorry if I made you two waits," She said as she walked to them.

Kuroo smiled softly and shrugged. "Nah yer good," He said as he elbowed Kenma's side to get him to look up from his PSP. Kenma glanced up from his game before going back to it. Mika couldn't help but chuckle softly. She was glad to see that the two of them hadn't changed all that much since she had been gone. "Want us to walk ya home? It's gettin' kinda late." 

Mika looked up, surprised that the sky was already almost black. "No, that's alright. We're not living in the same area as before," She said. Kuroo glanced at Kenma before shrugging his shoulders.

"It's all good. We'll walk you," Kuroo said, already heading to the school front gates, Kenma following in pursuit. Mika blinked a couple of times before she went to catch up with them.

"Wait! Guys, it's fine really. I don't need you to walk me. Really, it's fine," Mika said. Kuroo glanced down at Mika, raising a brow at her. 

"Eh? You used to beg us to walk you home. What's gotten into you?" He asked, resting his arm on her shoulder. Mika pushed his arm off, only to have him place it back on her.

"I'm not the same girl from a year and a half ago, Tetsu. I've matured... unlike someone," She stated, smirking softly as Kuroo narrowed his eyes at her.

"Eh? You trying to say something?" He challenged, pulling her into a headlock.

"Ah! Hey, let me go! You stink!" Mika squealed, attempting to push away from him. Kuroo laughed as he tightened his grip around her.

"You two are annoying," Kenma muttered. Kuroo looked down at the pudding head, his smirk still plastered on his face. 

"Come here ya' gamer!" Kuroo stated, pulling Kenma into a headlock as well. Mika laughed at Kenma as his face immediately cringed. Kenma tried his best to glare at Mika, but when he saw her pointing to Kuroo's sides, he couldn't help but smile ever so softly and nod. Mika quietly counted down from 3 before the two of them jammed their fingers into Kuroo's sides. 

Kuroo practically screamed, immediately releasing both of them. Mika busted out laughing, doubling over and holding her sides, both in protectiveness and the slight pain from laughing. Kuroo glared at the two of them and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You deserved that, don't pout," Kenma said, earning another laugh from Mika. Kenma smiled ever so softly. He couldn't help it, her laugh was infectious. Somewhat like Hinata, just being around the two of them could instantly put you in a better mood. That's what he hated. 

"Mika," Kenma spoke up earning the girl's attention. "Why didn't you try to get ahold of us after you got your new phone?" Mika blinked a couple of times before she smiled softly.

I didn't have your numbers-"

"You still follow us on social media," Kenma interrupted. "You deactivated your accounts and never told us. You just disappeared."

"Oi, Kenma-"

"No, he's right Tetsu," Mika said, her smile faltering. "I'm not allowed to talk about it, however." Kenma narrowed his eyes at Mika, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Five years... That's how long we've known each other. You're not allowed to tell us? We thought you were dead. No one told us anything," Kenma stated, his voice staying monotone. Mika bit her lip softly and looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. Kuroo glanced between his two friends. He knew that Mika had her reasons, but he knew where Kenma was coming from. The two of them both freaked out when Mika disappeared on them. They weren't able to contact her or her parents. 

Kenma stared at her before he finally turned his head away. "I'm going home," He stated as he turned and walked away. 

"Wha- Kenma!" Kuroo called out to him. Mika glanced up and sighed softly.

"Go," She said. Kuroo looked at Mika, eyes wide.

"I can't just leave-"

"It's okay," She cut him off, smiling ever so slightly. "I'll see you two at school tomorrow," She said, adjusted her bag in her hands. Kuroo watched her, glancing at Kenma every now and then. "Go. It's okay really. I have to take the subway home," She explained. 

Kuroo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Meet in front of the gates before practice," He stated before he took off after Kenma. Mika watched him go, staying where she was until the two of them were out of her sight.

She clasped her hands behind her back before walking towards her home. She knew that if Kuroo found out about her lying about taking the subway, she would never hear the end of it. Then again, if he found out about anything, she would never hear the end of it. 

It didn't take long for Kuroo to catch up to Kenma, especially with Kuroo being must faster than Kenma was. "Kenma! The hell was that?" He asked, grabbing Kenma's shoulder. 

Kenma glanced up at Kuroo, his face staying neutral. "What? I only said what we were both thinking," Kenma said with a shrug of his shoulders. Kuroo groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Kids these days... Do ya really think that any of that helped? You just made her feel worse."

"What about how she made us feel?" Kenma countered. "She just vanished and never said anything to us. She didn't tell us she was leaving or what was happening. Yaku said she had been back for days now. She didn't try to come to see us or explain herself," He stated, shrugging Kuroo's hand off of his shoulder. 

Kuroo stayed silent. He knew that Kenma was right. When Mika stopped talking to them, both him and Kenma started to block others out beside each other. Both of them tried to find her through social media or tracking down her number. Then about two months ago, they finally gave up. They were both getting back to normal and then she shows up out of nowhere.

"I know... but we're still her friends. We gotta be there for her still. She's got her reasons for what she did. She'll tell us when she's ready. She always does," Kuroo said, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

"You think so?" Kenma muttered, looking down at his feet as he walked, a habit of his that he picked up from playing video games and walking.

"I know so. C'mon, let's go home and eat somethin'. I'm hungry," Kuroo whined and Kenma rolled his eyes.

"You're always hungry."


End file.
